Jumping figure and game



April 6, 1965 J. w. RYAN JUMPING FIGURE AND GAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledMay 28. 1962 INVENTOR. TIE/v W Bra/v JUMPING FIGURE AND GAME Filed May28, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 45 v. do j 48 INVENTOR. :Ibmv PVT Em 3,176,430JUMPING FIGURE AND GAME John W. Ryan, Bel-Air, Calif., assignor toMattel, Inc.,

' Hawthorne, Calili, a corporation of California Filed May 28, 1962,Ser. No. 198,249 2 Claims. (Cl. 46-129) This invention relates to gamesof amusement and more especially to card games wherein certain of theplays are made during a limited time interval.

Many card games have been devised such that the principal plays areintended to be made during specific time intervals which are eitheruniform or fixed in duration or are determined upon the happening of acertain predictable or unpredictable event. Games of this generalcharacter usually afford high interest in the players, particularly ifan award or prize is given to the winner or most skillful player. Timingdevices of the clock type are, of course, well known and of a widevariety, however, the usual clock type timers are more complicated thanare necessary for game purposes and usually too expensive to be includedin a game apparatus which should usually be relatively inexpensive.

The present invention has been developed with these considerations inmind and provides an interesting and amusing card game timing device fordetermining the principal playing intervals that is intriguing in itsstructure and operation as well as appearance and adds an amusing aspectto the playing of the game. This timing device is in the caricaturedform of an individual that is made to assume a crouching position whichit maintains during the timing interval at the end of which time thefigure leaps or jumps into the air a substantial distance. This isaccomplished by a spring mounting of the head of the figure, thecollapsed position being maintained by a pneumatic latch.

It is therefore the principal purpose and objective of this invention toprovide a novel game of the amusement type incorporating improved timingmeans for determining the time intervals of the principal plays of thegame.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and unique timingdevice for determining card game intervals, which device is in the formof a caricatured figure.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a timing device fora game as in the previous object wherein successive time intervals areunequal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a timer device for gamesas in the previous object wherein the several time intervals areunpredictable, thereby adding high interest in the playing of the game.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel timer device inthe form of a grotesque figure that jumps into the air at the end of thetimed period.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear and be broughtout more fully in the following specification, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a container for the game componentsshowing the components therein.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional elevational view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIGURE 3 is a face view of several of the card elements of the game.

FIGURE 4 is an elevation view, partly broken away, of the timer elementof the game.

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the timer thereof inpartially actuated condition.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along line 66 of FIG. 4.

1 United States Patent 0 3,176,430 Patented Apr. 6, 1965 FIGURE 7 is asectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 4.

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken along line 88 of FIG. 4.

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view enlarged taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 7.

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view enlarged taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 7.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the game of this inventionis comprised of three parts, a set or deck of playing cards 10, ascoreboard 12 and a timer 14. A box like container 11 is provided forreceiving and storing of these components and serving to supportscoreboard 12 during play of the game. Playing cards 10 may be of anydesired number such as 52, the conventional or standard deck, or agreater or less number may be used if more convenient or expedient. Eachplaying card 10 has numerical indicias 16 thereon, such as the numbers5, 10 and so forth representing the playing value of each card and mayhave literal indicia 18 to indicate a grouping of a small number of thecards and may have graphical indicia 20 indicating the theme of thegame. An odd card 22, similar to the joker card of a standard set, isprovided and may bear graphical indicia 24 simulating that of the timerfigure to be described more fully hereinafter.

Scoreboard 12 may be of any suitable form and construction, however, isshown as comprising a plate 26. Plate 26 has a U-shaped marginal flange27 for seating on the upper edge of the wall of container 11. Plate 26has a plurality of longitudinal slots 28. A two-part scoring scale 30-32is provided adjacent each slot 28 and a pointer 34 is slidable alongeach slot to indicate the various points scored on the scales 30 and 32.Scale 30 runs forwardly or upwardly from 0 to 250 while scale 32 runsdownwardly from 1 to 30, the zero point on both scales being coincidentat the numeral 36. Scales 30 and 32 are preferably distinctively coloredfor ready reference with respect to the particular slot 28 with whicheach pointer 34 thereof is associated.

Timer 14 comprises a base 40 in the form of a plate or disc, a handle oractuating member 42 and a plurality of bow springs 44 disposed in acircular array, the end portions 45 of which are respectively bentinwardly and secured to the base 40, by being inserted in recessestherein having pin formations 41 which extend through apertures 43 inthe spring ends 45. The springs 44 are secured together at their upperends and to handle member 42 in any suitable manner, however, in thepresent form of the invention, there are actually only two springelements which are bent in the form shown in FIG. 4 and cross at themid-points thereof as shown in FIG. 6 and suitably secured to theunderside of actuating and handle member 42 which is shown as beinggenerally cylindrical. A pneumatic latch device 46 in the form of asuction cup is secured to the underside of actuating member 42. A fabriccover 48 is provided for the spring array 44 and may simulate a cape,cloak, or garment or a balloon-like configuration if desired.

Base 40 has a depending flange 47 and a plurality of bosses 4 extendradially inwardly therefrom and are spaced circumferentially at Alocking disc 50 is receivable within flange 47 and has a plurality ofmarginal notches 51 spaced at 90 circumferentially. Cover 48 preferablyoverlies springs 44 and is secured between them and actuating and handlemember 42. The lower portion of the cover 48 is suitably dimensioned tobe received in or within flange 47 and is held by disc 50 which ispositioned by first aligning notches 51 thereof with bosses 49 andthereafter turning the disc so that the full diameter thereof is abovethese bosses. Handle and actuating member 42 may have a flange 52 forfacilityin manipulating if desired.

In the operation of the timer the actuating memberAZ is pusheddownwardly andthe, suction cup '46 pressedron the base 40' where it willbe held (for 'a period 'off'time which in the usual case may vary from afew seconds to, approximately, one half a minute. Upon release of thesuction cup the energy of the bow springs 44Vwill,be transmitted to'thehead and actuating member 42f'and the figure will be propelledby asimulated jumping action into the air. e

' handle and actuating member,

I a collapsible body formed of'a'plurality of outwardly bowed bow springelements interconnecting said membersiandiyieldably retaining saidmembers inspaced relation, a suctioncup diaphragm on one of said membersengageable. withthe other member,

said bow springelementshavingends connected to said base menibe'ran'dopposite-ends,connected'to said actuating member,. and a bodyo'fiflexible sheet material j secured to 'saidmembers and enclosing saidbow spring The game is played in the following manner:- The playingcards 10 including the odd card 22, arexshuffied and dealt to all of theplayers. in equalnumbers'. The timer 14 is then set in the mannerpreviously; explained" and,

during the timer interval, each player passes to thelnext adjacentplayer,either to the right or to the left, as may be agreed upon,arpreviously determined number of cards is credited with the number'ofpoints equal to the value 'elementsrand said suction cup whereby todefine a generally bulbous body when said members are in said spacedrelation.

v 2'. A jumping figure toyjcompris'ing'a 'flatcircular disc 'base plate,a plurality of bow springs extending upwardly ina circulararray'thereon, a figure head and actuating,

membermountedon the, upper end of said springs, a suction cup diaphragmon said-actuatingmeinber facing said base plate, a depending flange "onsaid base plate, a

ofthe cards in his hand at that timerand the amount indi- V cated onthe, scoreboard using the sliding pointers 39. The player who at thatmoment has inrhis hand the odd card 22 suffers a loss "equal to apredetermined number of points, such as 30, 'The game is ended after anagreed or I predeterminedrnumber of plays have been made;

It will be understood that the foregoing description. is

illustrative rather than restrictive of theinvention and that changesand modifications may be made within the purview and scope'of. thesubjoined claims. I What is claimed is: r f 1, t 5 f 1. A 'jumpingfiguretoy comprising a base member, a

plurality o'f bosses extending radiallyinwardly on said flange, alocking disc received within said flange and maintained in positionabove saidbosses, said locking disc including notches mating with saidbosses for mounting said disc over said bosses, andaflexible shroudcover envelope positioned over and in contact withsaid bow springs, the

upper portion of said cover being secured between said springs andsaidactuating member, and the lower portion of said coverbeing securedbetween said'flange and said locking disc. a 1

References Cited'in the file-of'this patent 7' UNITED STATES PATENTS2,968,121 Pe arson et'al. Ian. 17, 1961 3,036,834 Zalkind May 29, 1962 7OTHER REFERENCES 7 Playthings, vol 56, No. 3, March 1958, p. 308.

1. A JUMPING FIGURE TOY COMPRISING A BASE MEMBER, A HANDLE AND ACTUATINGMEMBER, A COLLAPSIBLE BODY FORMED OF A PLURALITY OF OUTWARDLY BOWED BOWSPRING ELEMENTS INTERCONNECTING SAID MEMBERS AND YIELDABLY RETAININGSAID MEMBERS IN SPACED RELATION, A SUCTION CUP DIAPHRAGM ON ONE OF SAIDMEMBERS ENGAGEABLE WITH THE OTHER MEMBER, SAID BOW SPRING ELEMENTSHAVING ENDS CONNECTED TO SAID BASE MEMBER AND OPPOSITE ENDS CONNECTED TOSAID ACTUATING MEMBER, AND A BODY OF FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL SECURED TOSAID MEMBERS AND ENCLOSING SAID BOW SPRING ELEMENTS AND SAID SUCTION CUPWHEREBY TO DEFINE A GENERALLY BULBOUS BODY WHEN SAID MEMBERS ARE IN SAIDSPACED RELATION.